Werewolf Defense
by Shadow of the Forgotten Ones
Summary: Despite the very anti-werewolf stance that many have Professor Lupin stays at Hogwarts, refusing to leave the place he loves. He is resigned to the hate he will get. His students however? They refuse to let their favorite Professor believe he is just hated.


**AN: I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it.**

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It's been three days since the full moon, since the killer Sirius Black escaped from Hogwarts (the ghosts whisper that Snape looks relieved at this news when he thinks he is alone), since Professor Snape outed Professor Lupin as a Werewolf. At first the student body was scared, they had been taught by a Werewolf! The fact is frightening, they all know what the Ministry says Werewolves are capable of but… Professor Lupin never hurt them. And when the first of many Howlers flew through the Hall to land in front of Lupin they go silent. They watch as his face goes from almost cheery to resigned as it burst open and began to spit slurs that had even the Slytherins wincing. And the insults don't stop there, they get worse and Lupin just sits there like he deserves every word. Like he didn't teach them useful things, like he didn't take a potion and separate from everyone else on the Full Moon. It grates on everyone's nerves and they don't understand why Dumbledore doesn't do something to stop it. The anger caps on a Friday with one well worded Howler.

 _"I personally find it disgusting that Hogwarts would a savage creature to teach much less be near my child! You should have been put down when you were bitten! If you continue to teach I_ _ **will**_ _be lodging a formal complaint to the Ministry of Magic!"_ The tone is chilling and burns.

Surprisingly to those who never befriended a Slytherin it is them who come up with the idea. Fight the hate with love. They tell their Hufflepuff friends who advise them to talk to a Ravenclaw. But House rivalries keep the Slytherins mouths shut and for the most part the Hufflepuffs allow it. Until a Fourth year Hufflepuff, Annabeth Yearling, overhears a conversation that ignites her protective anger.

"Perhaps they are right Mirneva. I should have left after Severus spilled my secret. I am dangerous."

"Don't be preposterous. You haven't hurt a student since you have been here and you won't."

"You don't know that. I could slip. If I truly cared about the students… I nemver should have came…"

It goes without saying that the conversation spread and the Slytherins are forced to work with the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors as the plan spreads and they figure out how to make Howlers. The first Fan Howler is sent by a Gryffindor on Monday.

A loud: _"You're the BEST teacher ever!"_ echoes through the hall interrupting the angry slurs and everyone close enough to see the slight upturn of Lupin's lips rejoice. Parvati Patil tries to deny being the first to send what the students dub Fawler but her sister Padma confirms the playful suspicions. It happens again on Tuesday, kindness breaks through the hate amplified by an unknown source, though Professor Flitwick seems very smug later in class.

 _"We really like your classes, don't leave us!"_

Cedric Diggory shrugs off any praise or wide grins for being the second brave soul to send a Fawler. Hufflepuffs are loyal and Professor Lupin has his loyalty and doesn't deserve what is happening to him.

On Wednesday Cho Chang will break the dam with hers.

 _"Thanks for being_ _such a cool teacher and for_ _the chocolates! They really did help_ _me feel better!"_

After that Professor Lupin can barely take two steps without getting three Fawlers. Snape on the other hand gets actual Howlers from the students angry at him for outing Lupin. The first time a Howler interrupts his class he takes ten points from Gryffindor. Fred and George enjoy the newfound mode of communication and bombard Lupin with Werewolf puns and jokes whilst showering Snape in thinly veiled insults.

One day before what will go down in Hogwarts history, some students swear they hear Snape's voice booming from the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom. Worried, the students claim in their retelling, they stand by the door ready to defend their favorite professor only to hear Snape say something… Kind.

 _"The scores for your students are… high… you are not a horrible teacher… despite the company you once chose to surround yourself with."_

The retelling is of course dismissed as lunacy because surely _Snape_ would never say such things. Then exactly one month since the Fawlers started coming in Professor Lupin gets one to crown them all.

 _"YOU HAVE A VERY CUTE ARSE!"_

The loud squeaked words silence the Great Hall and every head swivels to the Professor's table. Professor Lupin's face is bright red as the very much male voice continues.

 _"T-ten out of ten w-w-woULD BANG!"_

And with that last squeak the Fawler implodes and the Great Hall explodes into noise. Snape looks like he's stepped into a pile of troll snot and the other Professors are just as red as Lupin. Needless to say Fawlers were banned. There would be a game later, to see if someone could identify the squeaky voice said what nearly, if not all, female students were thinking if they were old enough to think such thoughts. The game was never won or maybe the person who found out just never told on Neville.


End file.
